The problem with the concept of the ‘false nine’ in football is that the poster boy for the movement somewhat contradicted the entire thing.
The idea of a false nine is about positioning, in that they play much deeper than a traditional centre-forward, and style, in that they are usually slighter and less physical than a traditional centre-forward. But it’s, implicitly or explicitly, about goals; or lack of them. The false nine is generally not a dedicated goalscorer, more of a facilitator.
The issue is that Lionel Messi, who didn’t pioneer the role but clearly popularised it at Barcelona, was scoring 50 goals a season in his peak years, probably beyond the wildest dreams of any footballer in Europe this season, with the probable exception of Erling Haaland, who does little else other than score.
Messi was two or three world-class players in one, and probably too much of an outlier to be a realistic role model. A more relevant example is Robin van Persie — who was considered to be a No 10 for the first half of his career. When Arsenal sold Emmanuel Adebayor to Manchester City without bringing in an obvious replacement, and Van Persie was pushed forward to lead the line, it was considered that Arsene Wenger might be moving towards a ‘strikerless’ formation.
With Messi moved back to the right after the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic at Barcelona in 2009, The Guardian’s Jonathan Wilson considered Van Persie “the falsest nine that European football has at the moment.”
Less than four years later, that would seem ludicrous. Van Persie became a proper No 9, won the Golden Boot with Arsenal, then moved to Manchester United and won it again, leading them to the title. There’s a similar story involving Luis Suarez — who joined Liverpool shortly before they sold Fernando Torres to Chelsea, but was considered more of a second striker, hence their desperation to buy Andy Carroll to bring in a proper Torres replacement. They didn’t realise they already had one.
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Sergio Aguero, too, initially considered himself a No 10 more than a No 9. Harry Kane was a deeper forward when growing up. Roberto Firmino, although never as prolific as these players, played in various midfield roles until being converted into a forward.
We know that players can ‘explode’ into goalscoring centre-forwards late in their career. They can enjoy their peak goalscoring campaign at pretty much any age, from 19 to 35.
That brings us to Kai Havertz, who must be the least ‘false’ false nine around. Havertz is eternally considered a makeshift striker — despite the fact he’s started more Premier League games up front than he’s played in midfield, is 6ft 4in (193cm) and quite handy in the air, and enjoyed a 17-goal season in the Bundesliga at the age of 19. He has always had an eye for goal.
Havertz is intelligent at finding space. His finishing sometimes feels unconvincing, but he narrowly outperformed his expected goals (xG) in his debut Arsenal campaign and has started this season with two goals in three. This could be the season Havertz becomes a consistent performer — leading the line, as whatever version of a ‘9’ you like.
The problem is this weekend’s trip to Tottenham Hotspur. Mikel Arteta was presumably considering fielding Havertz as a No 8 because of Declan Rice’s suspension. Captain Martin Odegaard’s injury has compounded the problem. Arsenal have a gap in midfield, and Havertz is an obvious man to fill it.
At times, he’s played the No 8 role well, especially against opponents who play a high defensive line. Although it’s remembered as the game where Arsenal blew the title last season, their first-half performance in the eventual 2-0 defeat to Aston Villa was characterised by Havertz making good off-the-ball sprints in behind from midfield, the type of run that opponents always struggle to track, with midfielders reluctant to follow them and ending up on top of — or behind — their centre-backs.
If you’re picking a side for this weekend, and this weekend alone, then Havertz probably belongs in midfield.
But if Havertz is to complete his journey into a Firmino figure, or even Van Persie, he won’t do so if constantly asked to revert to being a midfielder. Becoming a ruthless centre-forward is a mentality shift as much as a technical one: knowing the responsibility is yours, to get into the six-yard box and score tap-ins and rebounds.
Havertz is not the only player at a top club who has become something of an ‘8.5’, asked to lead the line one week, then play as an onrushing central midfielder the next. It’s a curious task. Julian Alvarez clearly realised he was set to spend his career fitting in around Haaland, and elected to leave Manchester City for Atletico Madrid in the summer. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo probably won’t be utilized in such a manner after the departure of Jurgen Klopp. That just leaves Havertz.
This weekend, Arteta may feel he has little other choice than to move Havertz deeper. None of Leandro Trossard, Bukayo Saka or Raheem Sterling would make more sense as the most advanced central midfielder. A midfield trio of Thomas Partey, Jorginho and Oleksandr Zinchenko is probably too pedestrian in a high-tempo game. A complete system change probably isn’t on the cards.
Arteta has constantly stressed the need for versatility; for reasons of tactical variety and to allow for rotation. In other positions, that makes sense. But there’s something about the shift from sporadic centre-forward to proper No 9 that make chopping and changing roles uncomfortable. Leading the line successfully, for Havertz and many of his aforementioned processors, is about believing you belong there, and nowhere else.
(Top photo: ADRIAN DENNIS/AFP via Getty Images)
